Follow Me on Twitter

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

I Will Help You!

Do you need God’s help right
now? Are you facing a situation that may sink you if you don’t get some
divine assistance? Or might it be a recurring problem that seems to resist
every step you take to resolve it? Can you and I count on the Lord to help us
at times like this?

In this letter, I want to bring you a simple word of
encouragement. If you want to receive it as a prophetic word—aimed at the
very heart of whatever circumstance you are presently facing—here is what the
Lord Himself would say to you: “I will help you.”

Four
Wonderful Words

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Isaiah
41:10-14. Verse 10 begins with a direct word from the Lord to His people:
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen
you; Yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous
right hand.”

Twice more—in verse 13 and 14—we read those four
wonderful words: “I will help you.” Three times in the space of five
verses of the Bible, the Lord promises His direct help. No hint of a “maybe,”
or a “possibly,” or a condition attached to it. Just a straightforward
promise from the Lord: “I will help you.”

It’s no mistake that just prior to each of those
statements, the Lord exhorts us with the additional words: “Fear not.” Here
is the Lord of the universe saying to you and me: “Don’t be afraid. I’m right
here with you. In fact, I’m holding you by the hand. I will help you.”

Don’t Be Shy

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? That’s
probably one reason why we hesitate to ask for the Lord’s help. Another is
that we feel like we have to go it alone. We figure, “Well, I got myself into
this mess. I‘ll have to get out of it by myself.”

This is when I love the practicality of the book of
James. He addresses this same kind of self-sufficiency when it comes to our
need for God’s wisdom in various situations we face. “If any of you lacks
wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach”
(James 1:5).

In so many words, James is saying to you and me:
“Look, you’re not smart enough to get through life by your own devices. You
need wisdom from above. God offers His wisdom to you because He knows you
need it. That’s why He gives it to you freely, without criticizing you or
making fun of you for asking Him for it.”

When a baby is taking those first faltering steps,
and then inevitably falls to the floor, do the adults mock the child for
trying? It would be unthinkable to say, “You silly kid! Why would you try to
walk now? You’re just a foolish little baby for even trying!”

How much more can we trust our heavenly Father not
to make fun of us for needing His wisdom and His help. Instead, this is what
He says to us: “I’ve promised My help to you. Just ask for it, and I will give
it freely. I know you need it—so I won’t make you feel ashamed in the least
about asking for it.”

Can you hear the Lord speaking to you right now
regarding that situation you are facing? He is saying to you, with great love
and reassurance in His voice: “Don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you. I’m
your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you.”

The Promise
Is for You

Please take a moment and just absorb this remarkable
truth. Soak deeply in it. Then, go right ahead and apply it specifically to
whatever issue in your life is causing you to be afraid; whatever is
prompting you to wonder whether the Lord may have deserted you; whatever is
making you feel ashamed to ask for the help He so generously promises to give
you.

Now—based on the promise of Isaiah 41:10-14—take one
more minute to make the following declaration:

Lord, I take You at Your
word. Right now, I banish all fear from my heart.
I proclaim that You are right here with me. You have even said that You are
taking my hand in Yours. In this moment, I receive the help You have promised
me. Thank You, Lord.

Usually, we reserve those prayers and proclamations
for the end of these letters. But why wait? God’s wonderful promise is right
here before you and me, and it is entirely fitting for us to respond
immediately to the Lord’s prompting. Later, there will be another action step
we can take: opening our hearts in worship to our Lord Jesus Christ.

An Extended
Hand

So many times in his life, Derek Prince experienced
the kind of divine help we have just acknowledged. During Derek’s service in
the British army; later when his family was involved in the birth of Israel;
throughout his tenure as a teacher at a school in Africa. At so many points
in his sixty-year ministry, he received God’s help in remarkable ways.

Without hesitation, Derek took the Lord’s hand,
receiving His help to carry him and his family through adversities and
challenges. In a similar way, here is a story of Derek taking another little
person’s hand to help when God directed him to do so.

In Kenya we adopted a little
black African girl—our ninth adopted daughter. Shall I tell you how we
adopted her? It was by divine choice! Because there were millions of little
baby African girls and God laid his hand on one.

At that time my first wife, Lydia, and I were
responsible for a training college for African teachers in Kenya. We were
very busy. Furthermore, my wife was well up in years—she was older than I.
One night at about 6:30, a strange group appeared on our doorstep: a white
lady and a black African couple. The white lady was carrying a little black
baby girl wrapped in a dirty towel.

They said, “This little girl’s mother died when she
was born. A social worker found her on the floor of the hut and took her to
the local hospital. They’ve looked after her for six months, but the hospital
is not a children’s home. They can’t keep her….We heard that you took in
children.”

Lydia said, “That was years ago. We’re much too old
to do that now. Besides, we’re so busy with our educational work we don’t
have any time for a little baby—a sick baby at that.” This group of people
said, “We’re so tired, would you let us just sit down for half an hour and
rest?” They did—and at the end of half an hour, they got up to go. As this
white lady carried the little baby past me, the little one stretched out one
hand toward me as if to say, “What are you going to do about me?”

I mean, I’m not a fanciful person—but it was very
unusual. I looked at my wife, and normally we would never make a decision
like that without talking to each other privately. I said, “Maybe we’ll
change our minds.” Lydia said, “Give me a week to get some baby clothes and a
crib, and bring her back.”

So, that’s how we got our ninth daughter, who is a
sweet Christian girl serving the Lord. I’ve always been glad we made that
decision.

How Do We
Respond?

In any situation, God’s
promised help is ours for the asking! In the situation above, Derek and Lydia
extended a hand, clearly taking a step of faith to help that little baby. In
the process, God extended His hand of help to them in response to their
faith. How do we respond to such great and precious testimonies and promises
of God’s help for us?

The words of David, articulated in Psalm 63:7
(NASB), give us an indicator: “For You have been my help, and in the shadow
of Your wings I sing for joy.” Isaiah reinforces this response by
giving us these prophetic words from the Lord in chapter 65, verse 14:
“Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart.”

Bolstered by the promise of God’s help, David had
only one response. He had to sing. You may say, “I can’t
carry a tune in a bucket!” Or you may say, “I’m facing a lot of trouble. I
don’t feel like singing right now.” It’s interesting to read the preface to
Psalm 63: “A Psalm of David—when he was in the wilderness.” If David could
sing in a wilderness setting, can’t we do the same?

Let’s give it a try. Put any tune you like to our
proclamation as we sing it together:

Lord, because You promise
Your help to me, I will not be afraid. Because You are right here with me, my
very present help in times of trouble, I will sing for joy to You. I rejoice
in the shadow of Your wings. I sing for joy to You, for all You have done in
my life. I sing for joy, because You have made this promise to me: “I will
help you.” Amen.

Help for the
Journey

You have to know that the
Lord is smiling upon you and me right now. We have just stepped out to sing
praises to Him for the help He is providing. It’s our way to give Him
well-deserved thanks for His remarkable promise: “I will help you.”

All of us here at DPM–USA want to echo God’s words
by saying, “We will help you.” One of our greatest joys is standing with you
in each step you take to follow Him in faith. We’re right here, cheering you on.
But even more, we offer a whole array of materials by Derek Prince to
encourage you in your pilgrimage to fulfill His plans for your life.

Let us initiate that help by sharing with you
Derek’s full message, “Total Security,” from which we took the excerpt used
earlier. Like many messages Derek gave, it encompasses a broader perspective.
“Total Security” talks about God’s help in the context of His eternal plan
for your life. It also answers the question: “Why would God even want to help
someone like me?"

Your involvement with Derek Prince Ministries is
another of our greatest joys. Your prayers for us, your generous financial
contributions to this ministry, your friendship—these are wonderful blessings
to us. All of us here at DPM–USA send our love and thanks to you.

The Strength of His Help

A remarkable eternal transaction has just
taken place for you in this letter. You have recognized that God wants to
help you—and you have received that promise with a proclamation and with
joyful singing. Through your response, you have settled something today that
is recorded in heaven. You have welcomed the Lord’s help from this day
onward.

So go forth boldly, holding firmly to your course,
and hearing the Lord’s encouragement from Isaiah 41:10 as it rings in your
ears: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I
will strengthen you; Yes, I will help you.”

All the best,

Dick Leggatt
President, DPM–USA

P.S. Thanks again for your prayers, your gifts,
and your precious friendship. We look forward to staying in touch with you in
the days ahead. Be sure to download our gift of Derek’s message, “Total
Security” by clicking here. It
will expand your understanding of the Lord’s greater plan as you reach out
for His help.